Eeeeek I'm on a roll and people keep leaving great suggestions so I've got a lot to incorporate and I'm really excited - keep 'em coming!

"I already have a coat," Piper gestured to the coat she was wearing as Erin held out an option for the little girl, "I don't need another one."

After enjoying a lazy morning off following a day full of driving, Jay, Erin and Piper headed out to the mall to find a new coat for Piper. The little girl stood closely to the people she trusted amidst the crowd of afternoon shoppers. With the schools on winter break, the mall was more crowded than normal, and Piper was definitely on edge.

"You're shivering whenever we go outside, Noodle," Erin insisted, "I don't want you to be cold. The coat you're wearing can be for when it warms up a bit."

Piper wrinkled her brow. "I never had two coats before."

Erin swallowed. Of course. The first time she ever had two coats was when she came to live with Hank and Camille. Camille had returned home one day with a brand new winter coat for the street kid who was going through withdrawal on her upstairs bathroom floor. Erin had never had someone show her that type of love before. She abandoned the rack of coats to meet Piper's gaze. "I know how you feel," she said, "But you don't have to feel guilty about being warm, sweetheart. I'm responsible for you, and that means I am going to do everything I can to make sure you are safe and warm."

The little girl nodded before leaning into her sister's arms with a shiver. "I do get a little cold," she whispered. "T-thank you. For thinkin' about me."

"Oh, Noodle." Erin held tighter, "Next time you're feeling cold, tell me, okay? Or Jay, alright, because we don't want you to be cold."

Piper nodded. "What about one like you have?" she suggested, "I like that one."

Erin beamed and pulled another coat off the rack. It was black with a hood, and long enough to keep her sister warm. "What about this one?"

She unzipped the coat she was wearing and slipped into the new one that her sister held out. "What do you think?" Erin asked, "You certainly look toasty in there."

Piper gave a nod. "Much warmer."

"Perfect," Erin determined, "Now, let's figure out where Jay went-"

"He's right there." Piper pointed across the aisles to where the detective was standing, appearing to be perusing a section on hats, gloves and scarves. He turned and grinned when he saw his girls looking at him.

"Check these out," he said excitedly, holding out a pair of gloves to his girlfriend, "You clip 'em into your coat so you don't lose them."

Erin rolled her eyes. Jay was always ribbing her for losing her gloves and needing to borrow his. "I have gloves, babe."

"Yeah, gloves you lose," he retorted, "And then you borrow mine, and lose those, and now somehow we have a box of left-handed gloves at the bottom of our closet without their mates."

Piper giggled when Erin put her hands on her hips in an attempt to defend herself but came up short. "Fine, we'll take the gloves too," she determined, "Do we need to stop at men's coats, Jay?"

"I'm set," he said, extending a hand to hold Piper's, "But a trip to the mall isn't complete without a soft pretzel and-"

"Piper?"

Piper turned her head toward the woman's voice who had called her name. "Piper, is that you?"

Jay immediately stiffened as he felt the child's pulse quicken in his hand. Erin furrowed her brow and looked to Jay. Neither of them recognized the woman who was calling the little girl's name. "My name is Allison Chase," the woman rushed out, "I was your foster mother for a few months many years ago, oh my goodness, it has been so long." Her voice wavered as she took in the little girl. "Are these your parents?"

Piper was frozen in place as she stared at the woman, unable to get her mouth to form words. She hadn't seen Mrs. Allison in several years, not since she was removed from her home by DCFS because their family had reached a limit in terms of the number of foster children in a home allowed by the state.

The wheels were spinning in Erin's head as she looked at the red-headed woman. She appeared normal enough, and Erin recalled that the only good memories that Piper seemed to have come from her time with the Chases. "I'm Piper's sister," she said, finally finding her voice, "And this is my boyfriend. I have custody of Piper."

"Oh, thank goodness you got placed with your family." Allison Chase brought a hand to her chest, "When they took you at such short notice I was so worried. We tried to find you for several years but…" she trailed off, "I'm sorry, this must be very overwhelming for you, I just never thought I would see you again."

Piper remained silent as she gripped Jay's hand tightly, unsure of what to say to the woman who had given her up. "My husband is here somewhere with Caroline, Jack and Drew, I'm not sure if you remember them. You and Caroline shared a room."

Erin continued to stare at the woman in front of them dumbfounded. She never thought she'd ever meet anyone who knew her little sister from when she was young. "It broke our hearts when you had to leave," Allison rambled, "We tried so hard to keep you too. I still have a box of your things in our attic in case we ever found you again." She wiped her eyes, "I'm just so glad that you are okay."

Jay watched in slow motion as Piper's former foster mother reached a hand out to touch the little girl's cheek. In an instant, Piper dropped his hand and bolted down the aisle, intending to put as much space between herself and her previous life as possible. "Pipes!" Jay shouted, immediately taking off after the little girl, "Piper, stop!"

Erin gasped. "Oh my god I-"

"I'm so sorry," Allison said, "I didn't mean to scare her it's just been so long and-and I loved her so much." Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked at the older version of the little girl she used to care for. "We tried to adopt her and then they suddenly came to pick her up and take her away. We had a half hour notice to pack her up and we never heard about her again. My husband hired a private investigator and everything but I never knew she had a sister."

"I didn't know about her either," Erin croaked, "I only found out about her six months ago."

"Six months?" Allison's jaw dropped, "She was in care until six months ago?"

"DCFS lost track of her about a year before that," she managed, craning her neck to see if Jay had been able to chase down her sister. "The police found her trapped in a closet when a house was raided for drugs. She uh, was in some pretty tough situations."

"Oh my god." Allison shook her head, "I had no idea, I am so sorry. When she came to us she'd just been in a temporary home with a family with older children. I-I knew she had come from some difficult situations before but to hear that she had to go back I-"

"We're still putting the pieces together," Erin said, "But uh, for what it's worth, the good memories she's referenced are the ones with you."

Allison swallowed, more tears trickling down her cheeks. "She was the sweetest little thing. So tiny compared to the kids her age. She didn't speak much for the first two weeks we had her. But she was so brave. And gosh, just so tired. She'd fall asleep in minutes whenever we'd put her down for a nap. And just such a good little girl. When we brought Drew home she was such a good big sister." She wiped her eyes. "We uh, adopted our oldest, Tommy, out of foster care when he was three and found out that he had two other siblings. We were on track to adopt them too, and we were set to adopt Piper until we found out that Drew had been born and that DCFS wanted to place him out of state. We wanted Drew, Caroline, Jack and Tommy to grow up together since they're biological siblings but after we said yes to Drew it meant that DCFS needed to find another placement for Piper."

Erin felt her heart crack. She knew from Piper's stories and file that the Chases had wanted to adopt her, but she never had the backstory. "She mentioned that she had to leave," Erin croaked, "But uh, she didn't say why."

"Piper!" Jay called, sprinting after the little girl as she dodged through throngs of mall patrons, "Stop running, kiddo."

Alarm bells went off as Piper raced through the exit, the coat they were planning to buy still on her small form. She dashed around a corner, unable to hear Jay's calls through the pounding in her head. Mrs. Allison had wanted to adopt her. She was nice, but she wasn't Jay or Erin, and no part of Piper wanted to leave again. It had been years since she lived with the Chases, and while her memories there were better than everywhere else, she didn't want to lose her sister.

"Woah, little girl!" Piper accidentally barreled into a middle-aged man and let out a yelp of surprise.

"Sorry, sorry," she stuttered, backing away from the man, "I-I-I'm sorry."

"Hey, Pipes," Jay slowed to a stop as the little girl backed into him, jumping in shock, "Just me, kiddo."

Piper burst into tears. "Hey, hey, it's okay," Jay soothed, kneeling down to take her into his arms. He gave an apologetic look to the man Piper had ran into, who rolled his eyes and continued on his way. "You're okay."

"I don't want to leave," she whimpered, "Please, I don't want to leave."

"You're not going anywhere," he promised, "You're staying with me and Erin, kiddo. Forever, just like we talked about."

"They tried to adopt me," Piper sniffed, "But then I had to leave."

"This isn't like that," Jay insisted, "Erin has custody of you, Pipes. That isn't changing." He stroked her cheek gently, "I know it's a lot to see people from your past. You went through some pretty difficult stuff."

Piper nodded. "Mrs. Allison, she was nice. I-I wasn't afraid of her." She looked at Jay worriedly. "But I still don't want to leave."

"You're not leaving," Jay repeated, "You, me and Erin are all going home together. We just need to go grab Erin, pay for your new coat and get the car, okay?" He boosted the little girl into his arms and felt her melt into his embrace. "I'm not letting you go, Pipes."

Erin exhaled in relief when she caught sight of her partner walking through the aisle, Piper in his arms. "You have my number," Allison said, "We'd love to see Piper again and share some of her story from when we were part of it, whenever you are ready."

"Thank you," Erin managed, "I'll be in touch." She offered a smile before hurrying toward her partner.

"We're okay," Jay said by way of greeting, "Erin's here, Pipes."

"I know that was a lot," Erin soothed, stroking Piper's hair back, "I'm sorry, Noodle."

"I hadn't seen her in so many years," Piper whispered, "I-I-I got scared I was going to have to leave you."

Erin shook her head. "You're with us," she said, "Forever."

"I thought I was mad, for her letting me go," Piper choked out, "B-but I can't be mad."

"You're allowed to feel whatever you need to, sweetheart," Erin said, stroking her cheek gently, "You must be feeling a lot of things."

"But if they adopted me, I never would have met Jay," she whimpered, "And I wouldn't have gotten to have you."

Piper rested against Erin's shoulder, absolutely exhausted from the events of the day. Her big sister was methodically running her fingers through her hair as the child huddled against her. Jay had driven them home immediately, bypassing their original plan to stop at the grocery store on the way back. He kept glancing into the rearview mirror, the tear-streaked cheeks of his favorite little person tugging at his heart.

Upon arriving back home, Piper immediately reached out to Erin, desperate for contact with her sister. Erin had been happy to oblige and settled on the couch, Piper beside her, while Jay took a quick trip to the grocery store for the essentials. His girls were still on the couch when he returned an hour later.

"How's she doing?" he asked carefully, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of Erin. Piper was nestled into her shoulder and appeared to be sleeping.

"It's like four o'clock and she's asleep." Erin gestured to the child, "I-I don't think that's normal."

"It was a really jarring event, seeing her former foster mom," Jay assured her, "Her whole body went into overdrive with anxiety and memories and all that stuff. I think it's okay if she sleeps a bit. She'll still sleep tonight."

Erin swallowed. "Allison Chase, she mentioned that Piper's always been tired. Ever since she was little, she'd fall asleep almost instantly," she whispered, "Jay, I'm getting really worried. What if something is really wrong with her?"

He paused. He'd honestly been wondering the same thing after Piper's request for a nap back when they were in Wisconsin. "They did a pretty full workup when I first found her," he said slowly, "And after she got back from Bunny's. And you took her to the pediatrician in October." Jay watched as Erin continued to stroke Piper's hair worriedly. "But I think it would be a good idea to get her blood drawn again, maybe see if they can run some additional tests." He gave a sad smile. "She doesn't really complain about stuff."

Erin shook her head. "I was the same way," she murmured, "I told you about the time I had Mono when I first came to live with Hank and Camille?" She drew a breath when he nodded. "I had such a sore throat for like a week. Hurt to swallow, I could barely eat, but I didn't want to say anything because I knew when I complained to Bunny, it just got ignored. I was basically conditioned to keep things to myself, to muscle through alone."

Jay leaned forward and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. "I know," he whispered, "You always try to be so strong. But you don't have to be."

She gave a small nod. "Taken almost twenty years for me to realize it," she replied, "And it's still hard. I-I don't want that for Piper. I want her to feel comfortable enough with us to tell us if something's wrong."

"She might not know any different, babe," he said gently, "Especially if Allison said she's always been tired. It might be all she can remember."

"Oh god," Erin sucked in a breath, "I didn't think of that I-"

"I'll text Will, we'll take her in tomorrow," Jay interrupted, "Tomorrow morning."

Erin exhaled. "She's not going to be thrilled about a trip to the hospital."

"Hey munchkin," Will greeted brightly, "You stop by to see your favorite Halstead?"

Piper gave a small smile as she gripped Jay's hand tightly in the exam room. It had taken some serious convincing that bordered on a bribe for Piper to agree to a trip to the hospital for a blood draw. "We're goin' to the history museum," Piper informed him. She looked up at Jay nervously. "Right?"

"That's right," Jay replied. After a riveting chapter in a parenting book he'd purchased for Erin that he of course read as well, both Jay and Erin had been determined to avoid bribing Piper to do anything. Unfortunately, the prospect of a needle and trip to the hospital could be enough to start an absolute meltdown that both of them wanted to avoid, so the game plan was to sell the hospital trip with a visit to the history museum. It had thankfully worked, along with the promise of ice cream on the way back.

"Okay well, this is just going to be a quick pinch, and then you guys are off." Will gave a goofy smile. "I'm going to have you look at Erin while I'm taking some blood from you, sound good?"

Piper looked at her sister nervously, grimacing when Will inserted the needle into her small forearm. "Great job, Noodle," Erin praised, "Worst part is over."

"How come I gotta keep doing this?" she asked woefully, "I don't like comin' to the hospital. No offense Will."

"None taken," Will chuckled, placing one of the vials into the bag to be sent to the lab, "Not many people like coming to the hospital. To be honest, I don't even like it sometimes."

"We just want to know why you're so sleepy," Jay said, gently stroking Piper's shoulder as she sat on the exam table, "If we know, then maybe we can help."

"Is it because I used to faint a lot? Before I came to stay with you?" Piper wrinkled her brow curiously, "I haven't done that in a while."

Erin swallowed and shot a panicked look to her boyfriend. They knew about a few fainting spells, but they didn't realize how frequent they were. "You used to faint a lot? I-I know you mentioned a few times but Will if she'd been fainting a lot before-"

"Slow down, Er," Will said gently, "We'll run some tests." He turned to the little girl. "Did you ever have bad belly aches? Headaches?"

Piper thought for a moment but then shook her head. "I don't feel sick," she said softly, "Except when I had the flu with Jay before. But I don't feel bad now."

"Good," Will nodded, taking the last vial of blood from the little girl. He placed a band-aid on her arm. "You guys should go have some fun at the museum. I heard there's a really cool exhibit on the history of Chicago."

Erin loved watching Piper in the museum. After a successful blood draw, the little girl was captivated by the exhibits, and of course held stringently to Jay's hand among the crowd of people. Jay was such a dad with his intent reading of every single plaque and artifact, but she was too preoccupied to roll her eyes. Will said he would call the second he got the results of Piper's bloodwork, and that call was overdue.

She jumped when her phone rang and immediately answered. "Hey," Erin answered, "What's up? Okay… okay." She looked to find Jay and caught him at the exhibit beside Piper, reading about Abraham Lincoln. He turned when he realized she wasn't next to him and cast a curious glance in her direction. "Okay. We'll be there soon."

"Everything alright?" he asked after she disconnected the call. His girl was incredibly rigid as she stood beside him. Jay widened his eyes when Erin shook her head slightly. "What is it?"

"We need to go back to Med," she whispered, soft enough so Piper couldn't overhear, "They…they found something in her bloodwork."

"I don't understand how come we had to come back," Piper said dejectedly, sitting back on the exam table while they waited for Will. Erin was nervously pacing the small room, unable to sit still despite the pleading looks from her partner to sit down. "I don't feel sick."

"I know, we won't be long," Jay promised, "We can head home after we're done here. But we can stop for ice cream first."

"I don't want ice cream," she mumbled, kicking her legs slightly as she sat on the table, "I just wanna leave." She paused. "Am I dying or something?"

"No," Erin and Jay said in the same breath. Jay swore he could see his partner shaking.

"We just need to hear what Will has to say, and then we'll deal with it, okay?" Jay reached out a hand to grab Erin's. "Please sit, babe. You're making me dizzy."

Erin opened her mouth to reply but jumped when the other Halstead gently knocked on the door. Instead of greeting, she just stared at him, hoping that the words off his lips wouldn't bring her to her knees.

"Thanks for coming back you guys. She's going to be totally fine," Will started, putting a hand on Erin's shoulder. "I promise. And doctors really aren't supposed to ever say the p word, so you know I really mean it." He offered a smile when Erin took a breath. "We think we've found the reason why munchkin here is so sleepy all the time. It's still low iron, but the reason her iron is so low is because her body's having trouble absorbing it."

Will turned to the little girl. "So basically, those little pills Jay and Erin make you take with your breakfast and dinner aren't doing their job. And we needed to find out why." He turned back to Erin, who still looked incredibly troubled. "Over half the people in the entire world have this type of bacteria in their stomach called H. pylori. For most people, they don't even know they have it because they don't have symptoms but for others, it can cause tummy discomfort or ulcers, and can also make it really hard for the body to absorb iron."

"I got bacteria in me?" Piper wrinkled her nose, "Ew."

Will chuckled. "Not just you. Everyone's got bacteria, but yours just happens to be making it hard for your body to take in iron. We just gotta get you taking some antibiotics for a month or two, and then the iron you've been taking should start to work." He smiled when Erin visibly relaxed. "She's gonna be fine."

Jay leaned down to kiss the top of Piper's head. His little friend was going to be fine. "Thanks man," he said, stroking her hair back gently. "Nothing to worry about."

"I'm okay, Erin," Piper whispered, reaching out a hand to hold her sister's, "You can stop worrying now."

Erin cracked a small smile. "You could tell I was worried, huh?"

Piper nodded. "I know you told me it was your job, but Will said I'm gonna be fine." She wrinkled her nose again. "Where'd I get bacteria anyway?"

"Munchkin with the good questions," Will quipped, "Well, the reason we actually tested your blood for this was when we saw that your iron was still super low. And kids who sometimes have lived with a lot of other kids close together can pick up this kind of bacteria."

"I lived with a bunch of kids when I was really little," Piper said thoughtfully, "I don't have full memories. Just me and a whole bunch of other kids in a room with our beds real close."

Will nodded and cleared his throat, noting just how sad his brother looked at the little girl's anecdote. "That's how it can happen, yeah. But the good news is that it's treatable, and Jay and Erin are just going to be a little extra paranoid about you."

"When I fainted that one time Jay only fed me spinach," Piper informed him seriously, "That kind of paranoid?"

"It wasn't only spinach," Jay attempted, the memory of seeing Piper passed out in Erin's lap on their first court-approved visit burned into his brain. That was the day he'd learned about her low iron, and he swore up and down he'd feed her nothing but iron rich foods to keep the little girl upright and alert. Unfortunately, his attempts had fallen flat with the infection he didn't know about, but Jay was even more determined to get his little friend feeling more alert with the new treatment.

"The macaroni was green," Piper said. She flashed a smile. "But it was really good."

"I'm going to grab you guys the antibiotics and heavier dose of the iron supplements," Will said, "Erin, I'm going to have you walk with me, sound good? I'll bring her right back, you guys."

Erin managed a nod. She gave Piper's hand a squeeze before following the doctor out of the exam room. "She's okay, Er," Will assured her after he closed the exam room door, leaving Jay with Piper, "She's going to be completely fine."

She gave another nod, unable to keep her bottom lip from wobbling. "I was so worried," she croaked, "I thought…I thought…"

"I know." Will brought her in for a hug, "And it's a really good thing you brought her in today. An infection like that can lead to stomach ulcers and other stuff, but based on her blood work, we've caught it before any of that can happen." He rubbed her back gently. "I know you guys are always looking out for her, but you'll want to keep a closer eye. She'll probably still be a sleepy little munchkin for a few months more until the iron really kicks in since hers is pretty crazy low, but if she's spending a lot of time in the bathroom, complaining of belly aches, that type of thing, you'll want to bring her in."

"She's basically afraid to tell us when she isn't feeling well," Erin choked out, "When she and Jay had the flu, I'm pretty sure she would have continued on like nothing was wrong if I didn't feel her literally radiating heat."

"You and Jay have done a really great job with her," Will said carefully, "I have a feeling that she'll tell you if anything is wrong. And I can always stop by to bother her if you guys need."

Erin nodded. "Please." She wiped her eyes. "Jay also pretends to be annoyed, but he likes it when you come by. I know he was really touched that you came the other day after O'Grady."

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he led them to the prescription counter. "I'll come by for dinner whenever you want," he said, "As long as Piper's cooking."

"You alright?" Jay murmured against Erin's hair as she laid in bed beside him. After picking up pizza for dinner, he and his girls had enjoyed their last night before work and school started again. Jay was feeling infinitely more solid after the time in Wisconsin and the days off, but his girl's reserved demeanor even after hearing that the little girl was okay was troubling him. "You've been quiet."

"I'm worried," she whispered, turning her head to meet his gaze, "I know she's okay but I'm still worried."

"Will said we caught it before anything like an ulcer could happen," he reminded her, "We just gotta keep an eye out."

"Nobody was keeping an eye out until you found her though," Erin said, her voice thick with emotion, "Nobody. She used to faint regularly, according to her. I mean, I remember she told us that story about the time she cut her arm and she was alone on the floor for hours after she fell. Nobody was looking out for her." Her breath hitched. "She could be totally fine but instead she's exhausted all the time and is so tiny and now has to take like three antibiotics and-"

"Babe," Jay cut her off as gently as possible, "I know. I hear you, I do. But she's got you and me now. We can't change what happened in the past."

"Yes, but I forgot to make the appointment two weeks ago," she insisted, "I was hungover that weekend and I got distracted with work and it makes me no better than my fucking mother."

Jay shook his head. "Erin," he said slowly, "You aren't Bunny. It was one week, and Piper is fine. Will said they didn't see anything in her bloodwork that indicated anything other than the low iron and infection. Her stomach is fine, she doesn't seem to have any cramps or aches, and she isn't worried. She isn't blaming you." He took a breath. "I know how you feel. I um, I've been feeling really guilty about it as well. I mean, I was responsible for her when she first came to stay with me, I saw how tired she was, but I didn't act on it. And last week, you were distracted because of me."

"It wasn't your fault," Erin whispered, "You didn't know."

"And neither did you," he replied. "We're learning, babe. And we're really lucky she's okay, and now we know what to look out for." He kissed the crown of her head. "She's got us."

Jay watched in amusement as his partner hurried around the bottom floor of their home, frantically getting ready for work. The first day back after a week off to help Jay after the loss of his friend was proving a challenge, and Erin couldn't find anything.

"Babe, she's going to be late. You sure you don't want me to drive her?"

"I drive faster than you," Erin scoffed, slipping a black boot onto her left foot, "Don't worry Noodle."

Jay glanced to the little girl, bundled up in her new winter coat, patiently waiting by the side door. "Erin does drive quicker," she said, flashing a small smile.

"Have you seen my keys?" Erin asked, rooting through her briefcase with one hand, "I could have sworn they were in here."

"I am going to tie them around your wrist," Jay sighed, glancing at the side table where the keys were supposed to be kept. His set was resting in the dish, as it should be, but Erin's were nowhere to be found.

"Might have to," she grumbled, pushing her laptop aside, "I swear, I never thought I was a person who loses things."

"Maybe they're on the couch again," Piper suggested, gesturing toward the blankets and pillows that had been folded by Jay the night before, "That's where we found them last week."

Jay raised his eyebrows and lifted a throw pillow, instantly producing the missing keys. "Yes, thank you, babe," Erin grabbed them from his fingers and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, "I'll see you tonight. Be safe, I love you."

After a morning and half an afternoon without either of his girls, Jay had never been more grateful to get to pick Piper up from school. The case they'd worked the week he was out was winding down, and he found himself almost bored for the first time he could remember. He spent the day researching new recipes that he thought Piper and Erin might like, and was particularly struck by a pasta dish that incorporated squash, broccoli and spinach into the sauce as a way to get small children to eat their vegetables, and he thought that it might work on Erin.

"What's up, Ruzek?" Hailey asked, leaning against Jay's desk when the younger officer shuffled up the steps, "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I uh, met up with a CI of mine," he said slowly, glancing around the bullpen. Jay was talking to Piper in the breakroom, but was approaching after seeing him come in.

"You alright man?" Jay asked, exchanging a look with his partner. She shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what was bothering the other officer.

"Got a tip from a CI," Ruzek said, catching his sergeant emerging from his office out of the corner of his eye, "He uh, thinks he had a buddy get murdered last night."

"He thinks?" Hailey asked, "How does he think someone got murdered?"

"Looked like a suicide," Ruzek swallowed, avoiding Jay's gaze, "But my CI doesn't think it was."

"What does your CI know?" Burgess pressed, leaning back in her chair curiously, "He want protection?"

"Uh, yeah, kind of. Mark Baker, thirty three, was previously in the Marines. His buddy, Alan Hendricks, served with him in Iraq. Hendricks was running with this group of guys for a bit, kept trying to get Baker involved, but Baker's got a kid so he steered clear. Last night, Hendricks came by his place, said the people he'd been working with were after him, a whole bunch of other stuff. This morning, Baker found his body."

"Christ," Hailey blew out a breath, "He doesn't think it was intentional?"

"No. Baker thinks that the crew is targeting ex-military guys, looking to get them roped into a trafficking ring. They move money, drugs, guns," Ruzek swallowed, "And uh, people. Baker said Hendricks had mentioned some of the other guys involved disappearing."

Voight sucked in a breath. "He name any other victims?"

"One," Ruzek said, eyes trained on Jay, "Jason O'Grady."

Still building to the twisty (I know there was a lot happening in this chapter!) but I got a request for a little more Piper comfort so I hope you liked it!